Seldom Fail Kite

George Brett
Kite Workshop

Seldom Fail Kite

Materials

Tall Kitchen garbage bags, white plastic. Once bag makes two kite skins.
1/8 inch wood dowels/rods. One 48-inch dowel will make three 16-inch bones. Two bones per kite.
3/4 inch wide tape. I prefer strapping tape with nylon filament in it, but any will work temporarily. 6 pieces, 4 inches long, per kite.
4-ply cotton twine, tobacco twine. One five to six foot piece per kite.
Permanent magic markers, to draw with.

Procedure

You will need a pattern to cut out the kites.

To make the pattern, take a piece of cardboard at least 25 inches by 16 inches. Draw a rectangle of 25 inches by 16 inches. Along the longer edges mark the middle points at 12 1/2 inches. Draw a straight line joining the two points. From the midpoints come out 6 inches to the left and the right. These will be points A, B, C, and D (see figure 1.) Down the short sides measure 5 1/2 inches. these will be point E and F. Trim the sides from to E and from B to F to D. You now have the basic pattern for the kite.

Next, take a larger sheet of cardboard and on it smooth out flat the grabage bags. Keep the edges of the bags regular.

Then take the basic pattern and set it on top of the bags. (You should not do more than five or six bags at a time until you get used to cutting them out.) Using thumb tacks secure the pattern through the bags to the cardboard below. Using a very sharp razor knife (i.e.. X-acto), cut carefully around the pattern.

Next separate the kite skins and let the kids draw on them. Suggest large patterns, designs to be seen from far away. Also, try to stay in the middle are of the kite.

While they begin drawing, pass out the two bones, six pieces of tape, one piece of string, per kite. Then assist in assembling the kites.

The bones go from points A to C and from B to D. Tape on the underside first. Then lay the bones on top and roll the tape over, on top, to sandwich bone and skin between the tape. (see figure 2.)

Then take the string and lay it on a piece of tape. Take the taped string and with the long part of the string OUT lay it on an imaginary line between points E and F, so that the end of the tape where the string comes off is at the point E. Repeat the procedure for point F.

Holding points E and F together, find the middle of the string. Make an overhand knot, leaving a 2 to 3 inch loop in the end.

Fly the kites! Tie a 20 to 50 foot piece of string to the loop. Or tie a piece of string to the loop and have the child walk briskly or run out until there is enough line to fly, then cut the line.

figure 1 (return to text)

figure 2. (return to text)